Faith
by Twi-Vamp
Summary: None of them knew; all they could see was her mask- strong and willfull, clinging with unrealistic obstinacy to the hope that her soul mate would return to her unscathed, and pitying her for her unwavering faith' Keller & Galen
1. Alone

Keller lay staring blankly at the ceiling, trying to will herself into unconsciousness. She glanced at the clock on her dresser and sighed; 4am. She swung her legs out of bed and padded across her bedroom floor, ignoring the way goosebumps raised on her arm when the cool air hit her skin. Even though it was January, and Autumn had finally relinquished its hold and let winter take over Keller was still only dressed in a pair of sweats and a tank top.

Shrugging into Galen's jumper she wrapped it around herself and inhaled as she stepped outside into the hallway. His scent was embedded into the fibres almost as strongly as it was into her memory and she closed her eyes and remembered his face, golden hair shining in the sunlight, eyes sparkling with laughter.

Her feet were leading her on autopilot down the cold moonlit corridors, as her mind was swallowed into the dark corners of grief that had been occupying her head for the past two weeks. One day, she guessed, his jumper would stop smelling like him and then she would only have her memories to remind her of the way he smelt; like cinnamon and sandalwood and sunlight all rolled into one, she told herself. And even then, later, when she was old and greying, she might forget the way the sunlight would tint his hair a beautiful gold and make him seem to glow, or the way his eyes seemed to hold their own light. She forced herself again to remember the last time he had held her, or told her he loved her, or smiled at one of their silly little jokes. She would not allow herself to forget him, ever. Even when her vision grew hazy and her heart slowed in old age she would always cherish the feelings he had created in her, the way her heart had sung when he held her hand, the way his eyes glowed as if he were falling in love all over again when they would laugh together. Even though she had only known him for months, it would be enough to last a lifetime.

Keller looked up to see that she had arrived at the balcony looking out at the city. The sky was an inky bruised blue, broken only by the stars scattered like glitter and the twinkling of the city outstretched before her. It was quiet, almost silent, and as she inhaled all she could smell was cold air and the night. She fought against the tears threatening to overwhelm her and won, to some degree, managing to hold most of them back and preventing herself from breaking down completely.

The other day breakers were surprised at how well she had taken Galen's disappearance, most of them suspecting that the reality hadn't really sunk in for her yet. Of course the whole of circle daybreak was melancholy, each grieving in their own quiet way, wondering if any of them would ever see him again. But they all pitied her, felt responsible for looking after her now because her soul mate could be lost forever. She had made the decision as soon as she had been told about Galen's lack of communication with circle daybreak, that she would be strong for him, that she would not cry in front of the others and that she would remain optimistic like she knew he would want her to. Because if she did cry, surely that would mean that she had accepted that he was gone, and then there could be no hope that he would return.

And they all thought she was so strong, but the truth was that she couldn't bear it, a few times she had wished that she knew where he was, that surely any news was better than the uncertainty, but then she had realized what the news could be and had quickly re evaluated, hoping beyond hope that wherever Galen was, he was happy, and if that were the case she couldn't ask for anything more. She was the weakest of them all, but none of them knew, all they could see was the powerful fighter, strong and will full, clinging with unrealistic obstinacy that her soul mate would return to her unscathed, and pitying her for her unwavering misplaced faith.

She leant heavily against the cool metal railing, letting her hair fall like a dark curtain between herself and the real world, feeling herself falling back into the memories, powerless to stop it, as the tears continued to mark tracks down her numb skin.

She was standing next to him, as Thierry told him he had been selected for a mission, he was practically glowing with pride, ecstatic that he had been accepted and excited that he could help circle daybreak when they had done so much for him and his soul mate. She looked up at Galen, taking his warm hand in hers and entwining their fingers. He looked down and smiled his beautiful peaceful smile before looking back at Thierry.

The scene melted away into another, slightly more anxious scene. Galen was holding her close to him, pressing her against his chest as if he needed her there just to breathe. She pressed her cheek into his chest and hugged him tightly, whispering 'I love you' as he did the same, over and over. She didn't know when she would see him again, hopefully in a few weeks, as it wasn't a major mission. He pulled away gently and kissed her on the forehead, telling her to take care of herself whilst he was gone and that he would be back before Christmas, and she fought the overwhelming urge to grab for his hand and never let go. They had known that at some point they would have to part, temporarily, but neither of them had expected the anxiety or the pain it would cause them.

She wanted him to stay, and would have told him so if he hadn't been so determined to do good, 'to become a true daybreaker' as he had put it. She didn't want to stand in his way and so she had let him go, telling him one last time that she loved him before he left her alone, surrounded by friends and yet entirely alone. She had let him go.

She felt the grief overwhelm her, but was pulled back to the present by a warm hand over hers, and she jumped, whirling around and pressing her back against the railing.

"You- You st-startled me" she managed to choke out through her tears, as she felt Quinn pull her towards him into a brotherly hug. She would normally have fought the display of affection but when she tried she found she just couldn't find the energy.

"I'm sorry, Raksha" Quinn mumbled, pulling away when she did and averting his gaze as she swiped uselessly at her eyes.

"Don't call me that, John" she mumbled half heartedly and saw him smile sadly. Keller realized that he hadn't yet asked the most obvious question and she was grateful, for it was obvious what she was doing out here, crying by herself.

"If you want me to leave, I will. I just thought you might need someone to talk to" he held her gaze and felt his heart break, she was so broken, he could tell by her eyes, and she was like a little sister to him. During his time at circle daybreak he had grown close to all of the other members but found that he had grown fond of Keller especially, something about her reminded him of his love, Rashel.

"I don't want to talk" she mumbled, struggling to reinforce all the walls which had come tumbling down over the past two weeks.

"Want and need are two very different things Keller" Quinn said sadly "You have to let someone in sometime."

"When did you get so wise" she muttered sullenly, giving up on trying to put the fierceness back in her voice.

"Believe it or not I have been known to talk sense every now and again. And I'm a good listener"

Keller just nodded and turned around to lean against the railing again, as Quinn did the same, standing next to her.

"I know how you must be feeling-" Quinn started, but Keller cut him off, immediately offended.

"No you don't, how could you have any idea how I'm feeling, you and Rashel are both safe and together" she fought back the tears again.

"I do" Quinn said quietly "You're feeling alone, obviously. And betrayed that he could leave you like this, you want to be angry at him for not being here but at the same time I should imagine you're worried sick, and you don't really want to believe that he's gone. Because you're the only one left that still has faith in him when everyone else seems to have given up hope, you think that if you do show how much you miss him, then he must be gone, because there's no one left to tell you otherwise'

Keller stared at him in astonishment, silently meeting his gaze questioningly.

"I lost someone once" he sighed "her name was Dove. She was from a respected family, and so beautiful. I fell in love with her completely. We were going to marry, but Hunter decided to turn me into a vampire before it could happen."

Keller stared at Quinn, suddenly seeing him in a whole new light. Of course, everyone knew that he had been changed by Hunter, but she hadn't known the circumstances.

"But- you love Rashel" she stuttered, shocked.

"Oh, of course! I love Rashel more than anything else in the universe, more than my own life. But that's different, she's my soul mate, she's all I'll ever want. But Dove was my first love, and it hurt when I lost her"

"What happened?" Keller asked in a small voice, taking his hand.

"My father, he was a priest, found out about...us. He realized what the Redfern family were and tried to kill us all. He didn't manage to get to Hunter, but he killed Dove. I'd never felt more betrayed. And amidst all the grief and pain there was always anger at Dove for leaving me on my own, with only the prospect of being alone forever."

Quinn was staring out at the distant city lights, remembering another time, and Keller threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry." She whispered as he hugged her back.

"I just wanted you to know that you're not alone. That you're not the only one that's felt like this. And that even if you forget things about him, I'm sure you'll always remember Galen. And I wanted you to know that even if you never see him again, there's still love in the world, you're still cared for."

Keller smiled sadly at him "Thank you." She said simply. "You've been such a help, Quinn"

"Don't worry about it. I think I'm going to go back inside now, unless you want me to stay. But remember I'm always here if you want to talk."

Keller smiled at him and nodded "That's fine, I'll come in if I get cold, I promise".

"Okay. And Keller, I wouldn't worry about Galen, he may not have as much experience as the rest of us when it comes to fighting but he loves you too much to leave you"

Keller smiled at him again and whispered "I know" as Quinn went back inside, closing the door softly behind him. She didn't feel as alone as she had before, and was grateful for the first time that she was surrounded by so many people that cared about her. She still felt lost, she had lost her best friend and her soul mate and she would never be able to be who she was before.

She stayed out in the peace of the balcony until daybreak, and when she heard the first signs of life from inside the house she slipped back into the warmth and comfort of the familiar hallways and made her way silently to her room.


	2. Missions

She was sat reading in the smaller living room, which was much more cosy and just about big enough to fit them all in when it was a special occasion, when Hannah came and found her. She put her book down as soon as she entered the room and she smiled warmly at her. "Keller, I just wanted to tell you again that I'm here if you ever need me, if you ever want to talk."

She smiled at Hannah and nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She was touched, as many times as Hannah had told her she could come to her, she had always fooled herself into thinking she was only doing it out of pity, but now she realized that everyone who had offered help did it because they cared, not because they felt they had to.

"Keller-" Hannah trailed off and looked as though she was struggling to find the words. She took Keller's hand in her small ones.

"I'm sure you've realized by now that Galen might be in danger, but wherever he is, I'm sure he's fighting to get back to you. And Thierry wanted you to know that we're doing everything we can to get him back"

"Thanks Hannah. I appreciate it." Keller managed a small smile as she blinked away the tears already welling up.

"Oh Keller" Hannah reached across and hugged her friend gently. "I'm so sorry. If I could do anything, I would"

"I know" Hannah whispered back.

"Keller, before Galen left, he wrote you a letter. You know how he was, always wanted to be one step ahead, even in the worst case scenario. Theirry told him that nothing was likely to happen on this mission but Galen wouldn't listen. He wanted us to give it to you if for some reason he couldn't come back."  
Keller just stared at her, shocked speechless, and as if reading her mind Hannah spoke.

"He didn't know it was going to happen Keller, if he had he wouldn't have left you. I know he didn't because he was joking about it before he left, saying that he would feel foolish and paranoid when he came home in a few weeks and he hoped you wouldn't ever have to find out about how sentimental and romantic he was" Hannah smiled softly at the memory and then continued.

"I'll leave you alone now. But come find me if you need someone to talk to" she handed Keller a pristine midnight blue envelope and left.

It was evening already, another day of waiting had passed and Keller wondered how many more she would have to endure before her life path was finally decided. She sat with the envelope between her numb hands, staring at the insignia on the back, it was Galen's family crest. She had been out on the balcony all afternoon, and she was shaking, her heart wanting her to open the letter but some small part of herself telling her that if she opened it then she would be accepting defeat, and even then she might not like what she saw.

It was heavy, for something that was just paper. Her curiosity finally got the better of her and she slid her finger delicately under the flap, holding the small envelope as if it were the most precious thing in the universe.

She pulled out the crisply folded paper as gently as possible, but something hit the floor as she did so. She knelt down and picked up the small silver ring, feeling its intricately carver surface beneath her fingers.

With shaking hands she read the neat scripture written in silver on the midnight blue stationary.

_My love, Keller._

_If you are reading this then I must first apologize, I never meant to leave you, especially like this._

_I know there will be no words, spoken or written, that can console you but I am going to try, because this may be my only chance to say goodbye, and I am sorry, because that is also my fault. _

_I want you to know that you stole my heart, Raksha Keller, forever. No matter where I go I will always cherish the memories we shared, you're smile, you're laugh, everything about you._

_You are the most beautiful, fierce, loving, astounding person, and I hope that never changes._

_But although I'm gone, I don't want you to mourn for me, I want you to fight, like I know my Keller would. I want you to live you're life to the full, and create more happy memories.  
I know it will be hard, but I ask you to forget me, so that you can move on._

_Because I want you to be happy. One day I hope you can meet someone else that makes you laugh at the silliest things, that makes your heart skip a beat whenever they say your name, someone you can love that loves you back._

_Because you deserve that. You deserve another chance at love, and you deserve someone in you're life that won't leave you, willingly or otherwise._

_I know that the other daybreakers will take good care of you, and I am so grateful that you have so many caring people around you; You'll never be alone again Keller._

_The last thing I ask of you is that you wear my ring, it will provide you with the protection of my family and I pray that you'll never need it._

_I love you, forever and always._

_Galen_

Keller had trouble reading the last few sentences as her eyes were blurred with tears. She could feel her heart braking, as it finally accepted that he was gone. She couldn't bear it. Slipping his ring onto her left hand she furiously tried to stop the tears so that she could find her way back to her room and cry in peace.

That night she dreamt of Galen, of everything about him, and when she woke her pillow was drenched in tears. Somewhere through the numbness she could feel a hint of surprise that she had slept. She pulled on a pair of jeans and Galen's jumper and headed for Thierry's office.

Theirry was sorting out some of circle daybreaks finances when there was a knock at the door. He looked up to see a dishreveled and ill looking Keller. He had noticed, along with everyone else, her lack of appetite and the way her face seemed to become more gaunt as the days passed. Worse still was the way all the light and life had disappeared from her eyes.

"Keller" he stood and hugged her, something the normal Keller would never allow.

"Theirry, I wanted to talk to you" Keller sat in the chair Theirry indicated.

"Of course, you can always talk to me. What is it that you wanted to talk about?" Thierry's eyes were kind and warm as he leant across the desk intently.

"I- I want to be assigned a mission. I don't feel as if I'm doing enough here. I know you all think its too dangerous but I disagree"

Theirry nodded, he had known that Keller would eventually demand a mission.

"Well as soon as the next opportunity arises I shall let you know"

Keller simply nodded and left the study, wondering where she could go or what she could do to get rid of the restless sensation building in her stomach.

The next few days passed slowly for Keller. She went through her daily routine, getting up and dressed for the benefit of the others. But never once did she smile and she only talked if someone spoke to her first. Each night Keller would sit on the balcony until daybreak and read Galen's letter, committing it to memory. Thierry approached her a few days after she had gone to him and told her about her mission. It wasn't complicated, a simple information gathering task that would take a few days, and Keller was disappointed that there was no great danger but anything that got her away from the safe house and gave her something to do was a welcome escape.

"Be safe" Quinn hugged Keller and whispered in her ear "I want you back in one piece, you hear me?"

Keller just nodded and returned the goodbyes of her friends, trying not to disappoint them, before walking out of the daybreak safe house without even a glance back.


	3. Love

Keller was exhausted but numb, she couldn't say she was content because her heart still ached but she felt more peaceful than she had in days.

She was back a day earlier than planned and all she wanted was a warm shower and her bed. She went in through one of the back doors and dumped her backpack in the porch, intending on sorting it out later.

When she emerged from the shower Keller felt extremely relaxed, but wide awake. She sighed, opening her bedroom window to let in some fresh air.

"I can't help it Hannah, being away from her makes me anxious, especially after what happened"

Keller froze, sure she was going insane. The voice was too familiar, the accent too defined. It was the voice that she swore she would never forget.

She threw herself at the window, frantically searching the courtyard below. And there he was, too perfect to be her imagination. His golden hair shining in the sunlight and his beautiful face contorted into a mask of concern, guilt and heartbreak.

"Galen!" Her heart sang as she shouted his name, she caught a glimpse of him looking up as she was launching herself away from the window, pushing her legs to run harder as she sprinted down the stairs.

She didn't care if this was a dream , she didn't care if she had finally gone insane, all that mattered was that she could see his face again, and imagine that none of it was true, that they could be together. But surely perfection like that couldn't be imagined, her heart told her as she burst into the courtyard.

"Galen" She tried to shout but all she could do was gasp breathlessly. And then she saw him, standing with his back to her, her eyes roved hungrily over his broad shoulders, savouring any glimpse she could get in case it was all a dream. She saw Hannah's eyes widen as Keller sprinted towards them.

Galen noticed Hannah's reaction and turned just as Keller threw herself towards her soul mate. His arms were around her, pulling her tighter to him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She was gasping as she buried her face in his neck, feeling her breathing become ragged with tears.

"I thought I'd never see you again" She sobbed into his neck when she could finally speak through her tears. "I thought- I- I thought-" She was sobbing, clinging to him with a desperate need.

"I know. I'm sorry. I love you. I'm so sorry." he whispered into her hair as he crushed her to him.

"I'm so glad you're okay" She whispered back, her voice breaking.

"Me too" Galen laughed shakily and Keller knew by the way their minds touched that he was crying with the relief of being with her again, just holding her was heaven to him.

"I thought you'd left me" she pressed her forehead against his chest and feebly hit his shoulder with her fist. "I thought you were dead." She whispered, hitting him again as the tears streamed down her face.

"I know, I'm so sorry, Sweetheart. I'm so, so sorry." Her hands were still fisted against his chest and he held her to him, crushing her as tightly to his body as he could. They stood there for an immeasurable moment, as their tears subsided slightly.

"I love you" She murmured quietly, breathing in the scent that was pure Galen, glad for the strength of his arms holding her up as she was dizzy with relief.

He put his finger under her chin and gently guided her face up to his. "I love you too" he whispered, his eyes shining the colour of sunlight through leaves. He leant down and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her tenderly. Keller relaxed completely and poured herself into the kiss. After a few minutes Galen pulled away, kissing her cheeks gently where her tears still sparkled.

"I'm sorry, I-" Keller cut him off with her lips. "Shut up" she whispered tenderly against his lips, pulling him to her. Galen smiled into the kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist as she arched her back, bringing Galen's face down to hers.

He pulled her even closer to his body and straightened up, whirling her around, picking her up so that her feet were off the floor. Keller giggled and revelled in the feeling of Galen's arms around her. His smiled grew at the sound of her laughter and he set her gently back on the ground, hands still resting on her back.

"I- love- you" she muttered the words against his skin in between kisses as her lips brushed his face and neck. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Galen Drache" She whispered into his neck trying to hide her tears from him. Galen rested his cheek against her hair to give her time to compose herself before leaning his upper body away from her to look down into her face. She ducked her head and looked down"

"Sweetheart?" his voice was soft and gentle and Keller felt her mind being pulled into his.

Before she could stop it Galen was in her head, and he could see everything that she had felt in the past 3 weeks. There was a roaring in her ears as images flashed through her head, the letter, the ring, Theirry telling her Galen was missing, Quinn talking, her own reflection- ashen and gaunt, Galen glowing with pride, then leaving her for what she thought had been the last time.

She felt Galen gasp as he felt what she had been feeling, the emotions running through him as though they were his own, when Keller finally managed to close off the soul mate link everything seemed cold and quiet.

"Keller" Galen's voice was husky and warm in her ear. "Keller" he choked again, he was shaking, overcome with grief and heartbreak at the pain he had caused her.

"I-I'm so sorry" he was still shaking burying his face in her hair "I-I wish" he swallowed "I wish I could take away the pain. I wish none of this had ever happened." Keller put her left hand on the back of his head and pulled gently.

"It's not your fault" She whispered, looking him directly in the eyes. "As long as you're okay, I'll be fine" she stroked his golden hair, trying to comfort him.

He smiled a teary version of the smile reserved just for her. "I don't deserve you, Raksha Keller"

She grinned "Careful, You keep saying that and I might believe it one day".

He smiled and placed his hand over hers, which was still on his face. He laced his fingers through hers before suddenly pulling her hand away from his face and examining it carefully.

"You're wearing the ring" Galen whispered "On you're left hand?"

Keller actually blushed "It just felt right" Galen just nodded and smiled at her, holding her hand to his chest as he kissed her.

Keller stifled yet another large yawn and burrowed her head deeper into Galen's shoulder, closing her eyes momentarily and just enjoying the feeling of being with him again, the warmth and his familiarity were like a lullaby to her.

"Keller" Galen was whispering "Keller?"

"mmhmmm" she mumbled, opening her eyes and blinking sleepily.

"You fell asleep, sweetheart" Galen kissed behind her ear softly and when she looked up she saw he was smiling at her and it momentarily took her breath away.

"oh." She looked down and realized he was carrying her "You can let me down now" she put her hands on his shoulders, ready for him to dump her on the floor but Galen just carried on walking.

"Don't worry, we're almost there anyway"

She tried to hide her smile as she rested her head against his shoulder, peeking tentatively into his mind and seeing that he just didn't want to let go of her.

Galen eventually set her down and she drowsily opened her eyes, feeling them widen as she took in her surroundings. She was in Galen's room, roughly the same size as hers but with a slooping ceiling as it was one of the attic rooms that had been converted in order to make more room for the day-breakers, there was deep burgundy paint on three walls with a pale gold on the other and the bedspread and curtains matched. There was also a window seat overlooking the woods just outside the safe house, with the lights of the city just peeking over the canopy of the trees.

"Keller?" Galen asked cautiously, and she turned from where she had been examining his view so that she could see his expression. His face held her favourite sheepish smile that made her soul mate look as though he was a small boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"You can sleep in your own room if you want, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable" he looked down at his feet and scuffed his shoes across the floor.

"No, I'd much rather stay with you. If that's okay" she smiled shyly as she crossed the room and Galen pulled her towards him.

"We can go get some of your own clothes if you want, or you could just borrow one of my tee-shirts for now" Ever practical Galen was crossing to the wardrobe and Keller found her heart singing at the way Galen kept referring to them as we instead of just saying 'you'.

"I'll just borrow something of yours, please" She smiled as she slid her hair out of her ponytail and let it fall in loose waves down around her shoulders.

"Sure... Hmm that's odd. You haven't seen my green jumper have you?" he spoke with his back to her.

"Ummm, yeah. Sorry, I sort of borrowed it whilst you were gone." Now it was her turn to sound sheepish and look at the floor.

"That's okay, can I ask why?" He was rooting through the messy piles of clothing in his wardrobe, trying to find suitable clothes for her. Keller walked across the room and rested her chin on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging his back.

"I don't know, I guess it was just comforting. And it smelt like you" Galen smiled, feeling her long hair brushing against his shoulder, all her could smell was her.

Galen turned around, an oversized tee-shirt and a set of his own pyjamas in his hands and kissed her on the nose, wrapping his arms around her.

"You're so beautiful" he seemed dazed as he drank in her appearance, revelling in the way her warm hands were pressed against his lower back and her eyes sparkled beneath the curtain of her dark hair.

"Stop it" Keller mumbled into his shoulder.

"Never" Galen grinned and leaned in for a kiss. He could feel her smiling against his lips and he realised she felt the same as him, as if they were flying.

"You can get changed in the bathroom and I'll stay in here" he smiled at her, the perfect gentleman, handing her one of his oversized tee-shirts that would come to about her knees"

"Okay" Keller whispered, but she didn't move out of his arms.

"Uh Keller? Not that I object but I think it might be easier for you to get changed without me attached" Galen was grinning as Keller sighed and slid out of his arms, gathering his top and disappearing into the bathroom.

She emerged a few minutes later and slid straight into bed next to Galen, too tired to feel any embarrassment. He automatically put his arms around her as Keller rested her head against his chest.

"I love you" Galen whispered as he rubbed small circles into her back through the top he had leant her."

"Love you too" Keller whispered as she snuggled closer to him, warm and comfortable.

Keller woke up slowly the next morning after a blissfully dream-less night, it was the best nights sleep she had had since Galen had originally left.

She opened her eyes slowly, from the diffused red-tinted light coming through the maroon curtains she could see Galen was still asleep, his golden hair stuck up at odd angles and his face relaxed and oddly vulnerable. She was on her side, facing him, and her legs were entwined with his, and her neck resting on his arm. She tried not to move too much so that she wouldn't wake him but as she stretched her cramped muscles Galen stirred and she was suddenly looking into two pools of clear emerald.

"Good morning" she whispered softly to him just as he leant forward across the pillow to kiss her softly.

"mhmm" he murmured as he pulled away with a small smile on his face. "How did you sleep?"

"Very well thanks, you?" she smiled peacefully as she closed her eyes and shuffled closer into him, reluctant to leave the small warm cocoon of the bed when the air in the room was so much cooler.

"Better than I have in a long time" he nuzzled her neck and lazily placed soft kisses there for a few minutes whilst they lay in silence.

"We'd better get up" he whispered "I'm sure the others will want to talk to you, I feel slightly guilty for stealing you away from everyone since you arrived"

"You can steal me away whenever you like- I don't mind"

He grinned at her before sliding out of bed and grabbing his clothes "I call dibbs on the first shower" he called as he slid into the ensuite bathroom.

Keller giggled at him before sliding out of bed herself and finding her own clothes. When they were both done they made their way to the kitchen together, holding hands.

"Hey Keller- you're back!" was the first thing they heard as they walked through the door and were almost knocked flying by Rashel and Jez as they both tried to hug her at the same time. "Group hug!" shouted Poppy as she threw herself at them all. Keller was giggling as Poppy's added weight knocked them all into Galen and all five of them went tumbling to the floor.

"Poppy" James sighed, rolling his eyes playfully at his soul mate as he helped her up off the floor.

"Sorry Kel! Hey Galen! I'm so glad you're both okay!" Poppy was practically dancing with excitement and Keller saw Jez roll her eyes at Morgead.

"Hey, how was the mission lil' sis?" Quinn asked as he rose from the sofa and gave Keller a bear hug.

"Yeah it went well, thanks" Keller smiled at the nickname "Big bro" she added and he laughed.

Keller found herself smiling all day, even when it was just her and Galen, and she realized that she finally felt content, that the whole that had been in her chest all her life had finally been filled by Galen and her make-shift family of day breakers. She grinned to herself as she realized she had so much to be thankful for and reached out for Galen who understood and just took her hand without saying anything.


End file.
